A friend once told me how he carried a pistol around in his car for six weeks, planning to kill himself. In his book, Out of Confusion, he writes, “I was broken and hurting badly. I had failed in everything. There was nothing to look forward to and nothing to comfort me. I remember the time, it was nine o’clock in the evening.”
Hopelessness is deadly! It says there’s no way out, no one can help, no reason to live. Left unchecked, it leads to despair, addiction, depression, and suicide.
Most of us know someone suffering from these ills—perhaps our self. But are we aware they are rapidly increasing?
Look at these facts:
- Happiness in America is on a downhill slide, falling to 13th place in the latest World Happiness Report. Money for smart phones and big TVs is nice, but it’s not making us happier.
- According to the CDC, more than 64,000 people died from drug overdose in 2016—up 21 percent over the previous year.
- Numerous studies show that we are feeling more depressed. “Depression is one of the leading causes of disability and increasing national suicide rates,” says Dr. Mark Olfson, professor of Psychiatry, Columbia University.
Recent suicides by the rich and famous (Kate Spade, Antony Bourdain) sent shockwaves through our society, reminding us that our world is not all right.
Last year the CDC reported a staggering rise in suicides, making it the 10th leading cause of death. It’s widespread, impacting every demographic and age group—especially adults in midlife and teens.
Mental health crisis?
Experts say we have a mental health crisis, but is that the only issue? Reportedly, Spade was dealing with depression, taking medication and seeing a doctor regularly. Her husband said: “It clearly wasn’t her. There were personal demons she was battling.”
As a former nurse, social worker, and human being, I believe the problem is hopelessness. According to the Bible, hopelessness is a spiritual problem – “… having no hope and without God in this world” (Ephesians 2:12).
Psychiatrist Dr. Walther Lechler understood this: “When you deal with humans without relating to God, you don’t succeed. We don’t feel at home on earth, without a knowledge of a loving Father.” As a hospitant in his Black Forest klinik, I often heard him say, “Crisis and sickness is a chance to wake up to direction in the Bible.”
What does the Bible say?
The Bible attaches as much importance to hope as it does to faith. Hope means to anticipate, usually with pleasure, to expect something good.
The New Testament makes it clear, however, that our hope must be in God, not in people or places – “Your faith and hope are in God” (1 Peter 1:21); “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul” (Hebrews 6:19).
Placing our hope in some person or place sets us up for disappointment. When hope is repeatedly unfulfilled, it’s often too painful to hope again. Wise King Solomon said:
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life” (Proverbs 13:12).
Little has been written about hope, but it’s the basic building block of life. Hope pulls us into life and the future; without it, our lives stall. Gradually we sink into apathy, loneliness, and depression, until finally we ask: What must I do?
If we know how to use hope, we can keep our faith in God active—even when life gets tough.
Suddenly my friend (the man with the gun) got up and walked downhill to the church. He entered feeling hopeless, unsure if God existed anymore.
Kneeling by the altar with his face to the floor, he began weeping. He had no pleasure in living and wished he could die.
He cried out to God, “If you are there and for real, I need you! If you will come and heal my marriage and straighten out my life, I will do whatever you ask.”
For the first time in life he became serious with God: “I just told God how I felt, and suddenly peace came. None of my circumstances had changed, but I was filled with peace! I walked out changed—I have never been the same since.”
Don’t let past disappointments or present circumstances rob you of hope. Do what my friend did—go to the only One who can help, the Savior, Jesus Christ. Offer your situation to him and ask for his help.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).